Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transfer cover and more specifically a device, by means of which it is possible to facilitate and considerably rationalize the moving of a person, particularly a person with limited movement or someone unable to move themselves.
Description of the Related Art
In hospitals, care homes, and similar places, there are many patients or people who are otherwise in poor condition or are restricted in their movements, the care of which always requires at least one or more persons to perform turning over, transfer, and similar operations. The work is ergonomically extremely demanding and hard. Accidents often happen in this work and in turn often lead to sickness leave and put a strain on the use of the services of health-care personnel.
It is obvious that attempts have been made to find solutions to the aforementioned problem in many different ways. Thus, in the field, various mechanical lifting and transfer devices are known, which facilitate the personnel's work. However, the mechanical devices are nearly always large, thus often creating problems in storing them. The they also demand a large space when being used, for which reason they cannot be used in all places. Due to their construction, the said devices are also very expensive.
Cheaper solutions are also in use. Thus in hospital environments various kinds of sheet-like solution are used under a patient in a bed, which are used for two purposes; to prevent dirtying and wetting of the bed and also to slide the patient on top of it. Problems include perspiration and a dangerous ability to slide easily in all directions.
Sheets are also known, which have oriented sliding properties. Thus, for example a sheet has been developed, which slides easily in one direction but not so easily in another. This achieves the advantage that the said type of sheet remains well in place in the longitudinal direction of the patient's bed, but the patient can be slid in the transverse direction of the bed, thus making it easier to lift them into, for instance, a wheelchair from the side of the bed.
The type of sheet referred to above is a good improvement over the existing series of aids, but it too has its deficiencies. Thus, the type of sheet referred to certainly withstands sliding a patient on a bed, but its properties will not withstand the weight of patients when trying to lift them. Therefore other means are required for lifting, with the actual lifting usually still being performed manually, at the same time involving a risk of strains and similar injuries.
An additional drawback of the aforementioned structure is that it brings no help to a problem appearing in a hospital environment, which is due to secretions and faeces dirtying a patient's bed/mattress.
An additional drawback in many of the known solutions in the field is single use. Though a single-use means, for example some kind of sheet, is as such an appropriate solution, single use, being a wasteful system, cannot be approved if there were a more durable solution, which can be washed many times.